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Michael Culy

Indianapolis, IN | Distinguished Ag Alumni: 2006

The butterfly nets Michael Culy took on
family vacations and sewing pins he
borrowed from his mother to mount his
childhood insect collections were telltale
signs of the Purdue University bachelor’s,
master’s, and doctorate in entomology to
come. The Hagerstown, Indiana,
youngster simply loved bugs.
That education opened the door of
opportunity, and Culy stepped in. He
started with a small Fort Wayne you-pick
vegetable farm and then moved on to
Pioneer, where he worked full time while
earning his Ph.D. There, he set up the
nation’s first integrated pest management
program in corn seed production, an
achievement he holds dear despite many
more that followed.
In 1989, he joined Dow Chemical USA
and DowElanco, continuing with
successor Dow AgroSciences. In his 17
years, he’s held various posts and taken
leadership on numerous projects, ranging
from scientific to human resources to
compliance matters. Today, he serves as
Dow’s global regulatory molecule leader,
accountable for regulatory actions and
maintenance of legal right-to-sell of
existing molecules. He’s also an adjunct
entomology professor at the University of
Nebraska.
Culy is a board-certified entomologist
and a frequent author, conference
presenter, and guest lecturer.
He’s helped develop site-specific
decision-making tools for farmers,
positioned Dow as a global leader in
responsible care of GMO crop research,
and mentored many students and young
scientists.
His interests also include fishing,
hunting, camping, gardening,
woodworking, and volunteering with
Habitat for Humanity. And when his
children were young, he earned the
nickname “Dr. Bug” for his lively school
presentations.
“Beyond the book learning and technical science, what I
got at Purdue was an appreciation for people and
relationships — that probably did the most — and a sense
of professionalism that was instilled in the students.”